First stayed here in the 1990's when it was own by Bruce Bowker. Very simple, small, clean lodging and reasonably priced. Nice pool, right on the water. It caters to divers but you are not required to be one. No restaurants, bars or casinos. You can swim from the dock which is nice. Also, there is a deck you can hang out on. Quick hop to the down town and the restaurants. One thing to know is there appears to be what sounds like rather large dogs that are next-door that carry on in the middle of the night. We were regularly woken by them. Also, for some reason one of the staff members can be cranky and unfriendly...not sure why. Everyone else is great. All in all a good place to stay.
Bruce Bowker was an institution for more than a generation. The dive shop is now run by Chris and colleagues and they are excellent. They are very qualified, experienced, and helpful. You can trust them to service your gear
Love this place, relaxing great diving right from their pier. Friendly helpful staff. Nice sunsets and pool. Small comfortable rooms with either full kitchens or fridge and microwave. Well stocked dive shop with someone who can fix dive gear. Walking distance to town and restaurants and supermarkets for provisions. Was worried after Bruce passed but it hasn't changed, still a great little dive resort in paradise. Will recommend and return.
I ended up being a last minute addition to a group of friends diving in Bonaire so I was unable to book the same resort, but could not have been happier about it! I found Carib Inn based on proximity to my friends' resort and happened upon quite the gem. The rooms are basic, yes, but how much time do you really spend in them? I loved that I had a full fridge and freezer along with a small kitchenette with dolishes and a microwave. The room was also very clean and the ac worked great :). It is really nice to be able to have breakfast or a mid day snack and not have to go out to a restaurant. The best part (in my opinion) is the dock with 2 levels of seating, plenty of comfy chairs and a grill for everyone to use. Everyone there were very friendly and the email communication prior to arrival was wonderful. The dive shop is packed full of everything I could've asked for/needed. I am so glad I saw this place and can't wait to return.…
The Island is finally opening and going back to the Inn is like going to visit family. The diving is great. The rooms are clean and roomy. It is close enough to walk to the downtown area and enjoy the many restaurants.
We have been going here for several years. It's like visiting family...the one's you like! Great location, facilities, staff, setting, rooms. etc. It is paradise. We would recommend this for diving and just a relaxing place to get away!
When a dive resort is founded and operated by the person who put their heart and soul into it, and he passes away, you rightfully wonder what will happen next. The essence of Bruce Bowker's Carib Inn has not changed, it remains a small dive resort catering to divers of all skill levels, continues to have clean, well equipped rooms, and pretty gardens. With Bruce's niece Lynne taking the helm the quality we have always expected continues. The current Carib Inn dive masters are some of the best we've dived with in our 25+ visits to Bonaire. Linda, Kristi, Chris and KC continue the Carib Inn's reputation for excellence in diving. They are knowledgeable, professional and especially important during these times of travel uncertainty and stress, fun to dive with, making your vacation all the more enjoyable. The tank/grounds team are responsive, professional and personable. Rishi, Edward and Arturo continue to provide excellent service. The cleaning team brings their best to each room. Line, Netty and Jenny always create a warm welcome. So many of the Carib Inn team are long time employees, providing a level of comfort and continuity. Upon your return, and return you will, it feels like 'coming home'. Although not all of the Carib Inn team are long timers the newer team members were selected with care as they exude the qualities we've come to expect at the Inn, a level of customer service so hard to find in the world these days. So if you're one of the regulars wondering what to expect on your return to the Carib Inn or someone looking for a small resort that strives for excellence in all areas, look no further than Bruce Bowker's Carib Inn.…
My husband and I have stayed at Carib Inn many times. We love the smallness of the place and the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff. Their lodging is reasonably priced and the dive shop has good prices and is well-stocked. Because of Covid-19 restrictions, this was the first time we've been back to Bonaire since Bruce's death and we really missed seeing him.
Just got back from an awesome 10-day stay. Was best trip / stay on Bonaire we’ve had out of a dozen trips to our favorite island. Carib Inn remains a fantastic place, run by fantastic people, staffed by fantastic people - catering to all skill level of divers. 100% will stay again.
Carib Inn is up and running. Many long-time visitors to Carib Inn are aware of Bruce’s passing last year after an unfortunate accident. He was one of the founders of the diving industry on Bonaire and committed to helping maintain the pristine diving that the island is so well known for. I’m sure he would have been happy (as we were) to see families visiting with their teenage children keen on having their children complete their certification on the island and be introduced to the many beautiful dive sites. Bruce’s niece (Lynne) has stepped in to continue Carib Inn’s diving tradition. Lynne has been a regular at Carib Inn since she was a child and is an accomplished diver in her own right. The majority of the staff (some whom have been there for 20 years) is still there and several new dive guides with considerable experience have joined them. We were among the first groups to visit Bonaire after it opened its airspace to US travelers. There was still a little confusion about testing when we started planning and it took a little work to get it all sorted out. But, that seems to be behind us. The day we left Bonaire announced that they were lifting any testing requirements to enter the country. Of course, your home country may have requirements for you to be tested on Bonaire before you come home. We had no difficulty getting an appointment locally for the testing we needed to reenter the US. The test was $49.00 and we had our results emailed to us within a couple of hours. The restaurants were about 90% recovered. Service was universally good, menus were sometimes a little limited, but the food was still very good. We discovered a new restaurant (Joe’s) over by the airport that definitely deserves a shout out. And of course, the diving was excellent. I would like to report that there were no signs of climate change, but that would not be entirely true. The reefs do not show the level of bleaching that has taken place in other parts of the world, but there is some and it seemed to me that there weren’t quite as many of the deep water fish as there had been in years past. That estimation is the difficult part of the climate change issue. There are normal year to year variations and it can be hard to tell what is truly a damaging trend. Right now, the reefs seem healthy and there is a wide variety of reef fish about. The diving is good. The food is good. The people of Bonaire are anxious to have us back. Thanks to everyone at the Carib Inn…
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